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Conservation Planning and the IUCN Red List

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Conservation Planning and the IUCN Red List Vol. 6: 113–125, 2008 ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Printed December 2008 doi: 10.3354/esr00087 Endang Species Res Published online May 7, 2008 Contribution to the Theme Section ‘The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: assessing its utility and value’ OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS REVIEW Conservation planning and the IUCN Red List M. Hoffmann1, 2,*, T. M. Brooks1, 3, 4, G. A. B. da Fonseca5, 6, C. Gascon 7, A. F. A. Hawkins7, R. E. James8, P. Langhammer9, R. A. Mittermeier7, J. D. Pilgrim10, A. S. L. Rodrigues11, J. M. C. Silva12 1Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive Suite 500, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA 2IUCN Species Programme, IUCN — International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Rue Mauverney, 1196 Gland, Switzerland 3World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines 4School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia 5Global Environment Facility, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA 6Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antonio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte MG 31270-901, Brazil 7Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive Suite 500, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA 8Conservation International Melanesia Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, PO Box 106, Waigani, NCD, Papua New Guinea 9School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA 10BirdLife International in Indochina, N6/2+3, Ngo 25, Lang Ha, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam 11Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK 12Conservation International — Brazil, Av. Gov. José Malcher 652, 2o. Andar, Ed. CAPEMI, Bairro: Nazaré, 66035-100, Belém, Pará, Brazil ABSTRACT: Systematic conservation planning aims to identify comprehensive protected area net- works that together will minimize biodiversity loss. Importantly, conservation planners seek to deter- mine where to allocate limited resources first, particularly given the uneven spread of, and threats to, biodiversity. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species incorporates data not only on threats to species, but also on species distributions and ecolog- ical requirements. These temporal and spatial attributes, when combined with other datasets, have proven useful for determining the most urgent priority areas for conserving biodiversity, from the global level down to the scale of individual sites. Although many challenges remain, the increasing reliability and comprehensiveness of the IUCN Red List suggests that its role as a source of biodiver- sity data in systematic conservation planning is certain to expand dramatically. KEY WORDS: IUCN Red List · Conservation planning · Threatened species · Biodiversity conservation · Protected areas Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION to guide conservation responses, primarily by identify- ing key and priority habitats for species, sites to be The International Union for the Conservation of safeguarded, and actions required (Collar 1993–4, Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (www. 1996a). While current IUCN guidelines (Standards and iucnredlist.org; hereafter referred to as the IUCN Red Petitions Working Group 2006) are explicit that the List) is the accepted standard for species global extinc- IUCN Red List should not be used in isolation for set- tion risk (Lamoreux et al. 2003, Rodrigues et al. 2006). ting priorities or determining conservation responses, Traditionally, the IUCN Red List has served not only to the IUCN Red List and conservation priority setting highlight species at greatest risk of extinction, but also have proven inseparable (Mace & Lande 1991, Mace *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2008 · www.int-res.com 114 Endang Species Res: 6:113–125, 2008 1995). Both governmental and non-governmental rigues et al. 2006). An initial driving force behind this organizations increasingly rely on the IUCN Red List to transformation was the role of such lists in setting pri- inform priorities, influence legislation, and guide con- orities for conservation, especially at the level of pri- servation investment, particularly as its influence con- oritizing among species. The qualitatively defined tinues to grow (Fig. 1). One recent case concerns the categories and definitions were criticized for being new Resource Allocation Framework of the Global subjective, raising concerns that assessments made Environment Facility (GEF; the financial mechanism of by different authorities did not accurately reflect true the Convention on Biological Diversity) that incorpo- extinction risks and skewed conservation priorities rates IUCN Red List data to provide a relative ranking (Master 1991). of countries for meeting the biodiversity objectives A revised risk-ranking system, incorporating quanti- of the GEF (www.gefweb.org/documents/council_ tative categories and criteria (Mace & Lande 1991), documents/GEF_C27/documents/C.27.Inf.8.Rev.1_RAF. and adopted in 1994 (IUCN 1994), presented several pdf). Although this profile has resulted in some degree advances, notably (1) enabling consistent application of misuse, especially in the wake of a paucity of guid- by different people, (2) being based around probabilis- ance on its appropriate application, it nevertheless tic assessment of extinction risk, (3) incorporation of a provides a particularly important example of the time-scale; (4) flexibility of data required and popula- power of the IUCN Red List to inform policy. Here, we tion units to which it applied, and (5) ability to handle briefly review the development of the IUCN Red List uncertainty (Mace & Lande 1991). Whereas the first and its function in conservation planning, specifically, IUCN Red List assessments depended on knowledge in identifying priority areas for biodiversity conserva- complemented by a large dose of subjective common tion; we also discuss challenges to improving its utility sense, these new categories and criteria were designed for this purpose. This review is particularly timely, to improve repeatability and consistency in the listing because IUCN members have passed a resolution that process. identifies conservation planning as one of the most Since the adoption of the most recent revision to the important areas for future expansion (Resolution criteria in 2001 (IUCN 2001; Fig. 2, Table 1), there has RESWCC3.013 of the 2004 World Conservation Con- been considerable emphasis on improving the taxo- gress). nomic coverage, rigor, justification, and transparency of IUCN Red List assessments. For example, partly in response to criticisms (e.g. Mrosovsky 1997), assess- EVOLUTION OF THE IUCN RED LIST ments are now underpinned by mandatory supporting documentation, including information on geographic Red Data Books were first conceived in the early range and abundance, habitats, threats, and conserva- 1960s, as a ‘register of threatened wildlife that tion actions (see www.iucnredlist.org); these assess- includes definitions of degrees of threat’ (Fitter & Fit- ments are consultative, now increasingly facilitated ter 1987). Since then they have undergone significant through workshops and web-based open-access sys- evolution from simple lists of species and categories tems (e.g. BirdLife International’s Globally Threatened into an increasingly comprehensive compendium of Bird forums; www.birdlifeforums.org), and peer-re- conservation-related information on species (Rod- viewed. As such, today’s IUCN Red List is promoted not only as a credible and objective source of species’ 300 threat status with a remit beyond the cause of a few 250 handpicked species, but as a growing data mine, which has improved its utility in conservation, includ- 200 ing species-based conservation, policy and manage- 150 ment, biodiversity evaluation, and monitoring (Rod- rigues et al. 2006). 100 No. of citations 50 EVOLUTION OF CONSERVATION PLANNING 0 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 Year Priority-setting approaches that identify global prior- Fig. 1. Number of citations of the IUCN Red List per year, in ities for conservation, such as the Global 200 eco- peer-reviewed journals, up to and including 2004. Total of regions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998), biodiversity 1047 citations (Web of Science, http://isiwebofknowledge. com, April 25, 2005), either on the topic ‘Red List’ + ‘IUCN’, or hotspots (Myers et al. 2000), and Endemic Bird Areas citing at least one of the IUCN Red List main publications, (Stattersfield et al. 1998), have proven effective at or both directing conservation resources at a global scale to Hoffmann et al.: Conservation planning and the IUCN Red List 115 Fig. 2. The IUCN Red List categories (adapted, with permission, from IUCN 2001) those regions most urgently in need of conservation 90% of threatened mammals, birds and amphibians; investment (Brooks et al. 2006). However, these Baillie et al. 2004). Consequently, area-based action, or approaches are not designed, nor intended, to inform more specifically the mitigation of threats by means of the identification of more fine-scale targets for conser- the establishment of protected areas, is the most effec- vation action, such as actual sites with biodiversity fea- tive conservation response for safeguarding biodiver- tures that require safeguarding. sity (Bruner et al. 2001, Oliveira et al. 2007) — albeit not For most biodiversity, habitat loss and
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